The Hurrem Hate was real in 16th century Ottoman Empire
Bassano wrote the following to describe how much the general population hated Hurrem:
"Suleyman harbors such love for her and astonishes his entire court so much that they claim she has bewitched the sultan; that is why they call her a witch. The Janissaries and the entire court hate her and her children. But since the sultan loves her, no one dares to voice their opinion. I have heard everyone speak ill of her and her children."
Busbecq also noted that, “it is said among the people that Hurrem holds Suleyman’s affection in her grasp through love spells and witchcraft.”
I guess, for 16th century Ottoman society, and even for some modern people, it was difficult to comprehend a man, especially someone in Suleyman’s position, might love one single woman, stay loyal to her, and want to grow old with her.
Hurrem Sultan and Rüstem Pasha were also blamed entirely for Mustafa’s downfall.
People in Istanbul believed that Hurrem had plotted against Mustafa to clear the path to the throne for one of her sons, and that she had utilized Rüstem Pasha’s help in this scheme.
Busbecq in his Turkish letters wrote:
“The Turks believe that the sultan’s estrangement from his son—to the point of wanting to rid himself of him—stemmed from Rüstem’s slanders and the spells of Roxolana, who was rumored to be a sorceress. According to rumors among the people, Hurrem had managed to sow seeds of doubt in the sultan’s mind regarding Mustafa through the magic she practiced and her feminine wiles. At her command, Rüstem had written a forged letter implying that Mustafa was in secret contact with the Shah of Iran, Suleiman’s chief enemy. Additionally, Hurrem had attempted to kill Mustafa by sending him poisoned garments as gifts, but she had failed. Finally, on October 6, 1553, a suspicious Suleiman summoned Mustafa from the province of Amasya, which he governed, to his tent in Aleppo and ordered the harem eunuchs to strangle the prince there.”
Whereas, Ottoman Historian Mustafa Ali creates a narrative that it was some “stupid” (!) soldiers who seduced Mustafa into rebellion:
“Somehow, some stupids among the soldiers offer obedience to Sehzade Mustafa and provoked him by saying that "Your magnificent father has grown old, he is unable to move and lead the campaign.”,…,they prompted him to the path of rebellion and lured him to the realization of his ambition by coming to the encampment.”
Taslicali Yahya would allude to Rustem and Zal:
Meded meded bu cihânun yıkıldı bir yanı
Ecel celâlileri aldı Mustafa Han'ı
Hatası gayr-i muayyen günahı nâ-ma'lûm
Zihî şehid-i sa'îd ü zihî şeh-i mazlûm
Getürdi arkasını yire Zâl-i devr ü zeman
Vücuduna sitem-i Rüstem ile irdi ziyan
Bir iki eğri fesâd ehli nitekim şemşir
Bir iki nâme-i tezvîri kıldı katline tîr
➡️ The words “Zal” and “Rustem” are skillfully inserted into the poem without directly naming them.
The double standards were real..
